Silencing a Blackened Heart
by TrassDrakin
Summary: With the death of Smaug the Tyrannical and the banishment of Sauron from Dol Guldur peace has returned to the peoples of Middle Earth. But it is a fragile peace. Something is stirring within the ancient ruins of Angmar yet Tauriel seems to be the only one who can see it. Will she be able to warn others of the looming threat in time or will the North once more fall into open war?


**Chapter 1**

A light breeze whistled through the wood, rustling the leaves and tugging at the branches as it wound through the vast trees. Slipping down out of the north, it brought with it a cool air from the distant mountains and whispers of the encroaching winter. Despite its warnings, though, most of the forest's inhabitants ignored it, with the birds continuing to sing from the canopies and the beasts moseying through the brush below. A merry brook could even be heard babbling softly nearby, adding its own harmony to the music of the wood. And if one enjoyed the melodic sounds that could be heard it was nothing compared to the visual splendor that the forest became at this time of year.

Every leaf had begun to turn, splashing the foliage in a collage of colors that ranged from vibrant yellows to deep, dark reds. They all fluttered in the passing wind in a shimmering mosaic of color before settling back down after it had moved on. While the leaves still blocked the looming sky from sight enough had fallen that the odd ray of sunshine still managed to break through to the forest floor, creating golden shafts of light that illuminated the trees and kept the shadows at bay. For a place colloquially known as Mirkwood it looked nothing of the sort on a warm autumn day like today.

Despite all the wondrous life around her, though, it still looked so bleak to Tauriel. But then everything looked bleak to her these days. She used to love walking amongst the trees, savoring the sights and sounds the forest would present to her as she trecked down familiar paths. Admiring the visual displays that came before the long winter nights, it had been her favorite season and, if she was very lucky, she would even catch a glimpse of the stars glinting down at her through the swirling leaves.

However, the colors had stopped intriguing her long ago, the sounds falling deaf upon her ears. Even starlight, something that she'd treasured above all else, had lost much of its appeal. If that silver gleam was in fact memory then she wanted nothing to do with it as she did not want to remember. Memories only brought an unassailable pain with them.

In spite of all this, though, she endured. Though her senses were numb and her mind weary with grief she pressed on, for she had all of eternity laid out before her. Such was the fate of an undying elf. Some days she wanted nothing more than to collapse and give in to her sorrow but Tauriel was still Captain of the Guard for the Woodland Realm. She had others depending on her and duties to uphold so she pushed her woe aside and did what she could for the wellbeing of her people. On most days, that is.

On this particular day, when the days became shorter following the dwarvish celebration of Durin's Day, there only one place she wanted to be. So she'd left the kingdom behind, setting out into the forest in search of the tallest tree she could find. Upon encountering one she'd swiftly climbed to its pinnacle, settling into the boughs of its crown as the sun set out its final rays behind her. Here, alone with the wind and the trees, she allowed the tears to flow unbidden as she gazed out to the east.

There, beyond the borders of Mirkwood looming over the endless steppe, sat the solitary peak of the Lonely Mountain. A colossal pillar of rock and stone thrust up from the surrounding landscape, its snowcovered summit could be seen for miles around as it scraped against the base of the clouds. More importantly, though, it served as the ancestral home of the dwarvish kingdom of Erebor. Nestled deep within the roots of the mountain, the dwarves had carved their domain far beneath the surface of the world to such depths that the sun's light would never reach them. Though they had lost Erebor to the dragon Smaug since the beast's defeat they had promptly returned and resumed their mining in their endless quest for wealth.

Of course, as an elf Tauriel felt no such lust for gold. No desire for the vast riches entombed within the earth. No, for her the mountain served a very different purpose. To some it was a place of great prosperity and to others it signified a seat of power yet to her it was a final resting place. A tomb for someone very dear to her but virtually unknown to the rest of the world. For there, hewn into its craggy slopes, sat a single unmarked grave that none but she knew of.

It had been years since her Kili had fallen, only the passage of time did nothing to assuage her sorrow nor did it do anything to heal the wound in her heart. His death had torn a hole in her that apparently nothing could mend much to the bafflement of her fellow elves, not she couldn't blame them for their confusion. After all, she had only known the dwarf for a short time and he'd been their prisoner at that. Hardly what was needed to nurture a budding romance.

...But when she'd first met him… when they spoke… he was so unlike anything she'd ever encountered. Almost like she'd unknowingly spent her entire life searching for something only to find it in him, unlocking deep and passionate desires deep within her that she'd never felt before. It had been strange and even terrifying at times to be at the whim of those desires, driving Tauriel to do and say things that she never would have ordinarily done, yet also exhilarating. Though it meant diving into the unknown she found it increasingly hard to resist exploring and strengthening that enrapturing bond she shared with Kili.

Then that bond had been severed, ripping those desires from her and she could still feel the wound left by their passing. An agonizing, burning pain that seemed to consume more of her with each passing day...

It only took the breath of the faintest footstep to alert Tauriel that she was no longer alone, her pointed ears perking and her emerald eyes flashing away from the mountain. However, she did not panic as she recognized the presence behind her, rising to her feet and turning to acknowledge her fellow elf. It was Feren, another servant of the king who had apparently come to give her a message. Rather than asking for it, though, she simply gave him a nod and said, "Feren."

"Lady Tauriel," he replied, returning the nod before speaking in the flowing language of elvish that was their tongue. "Our king has requested your presence."

After giving him a brief look she once more turned her gaze to the Lonely Mountain. "Did he say why?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the distant peak.

"He did not. Only that you were to come immediately. Will you come?"

For a moment she did not answer, continuing to stare at the far lands as a insufferable heaviness continued to envelop her heart. Rather than showing it, though, she forced a smile when she turned back to Feren, who would still no doubt see the hollow despair in her eyes. "Of course. We wouldn't want to keep our king waiting."


End file.
